The historic immigrant neighbourhood just north of downtown along North Main, with Alcenia's, the Bass Pro Pyramid and the slow rebuild around AutoZone Park.
Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's Pinch District Memphis soul food room has run fried chicken, collards and a hug at the door for over twenty years.
Signature: Fried chicken, Ghetto Aid
Order: Fried chicken plate with greens and yams; ask for a Ghetto Aid.
Tip: Counter service, cash preferred. B.J. greets every table; the experience is half the meal.
Raymond Robinson's North Parkway Memphis BBQ joint has smoked Cornish hens, bologna and ribs over hickory in a one-room shack since 1977. Idiosyncratic, brilliant.
Signature: Smoked Cornish hen, Bologna sandwich
Order: Smoked Cornish hen with the slab.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Cash works best; the bologna sandwich is worth ordering even if you came for ribs.
The smoked Cornish hen at Cozy Corner on North Parkway Memphis is the city's most singular BBQ plate, hickory-smoked whole and mahogany-skinned in sauce.
Try: Smoked Cornish hen
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday only. The bologna sandwich on white bread is the second-best order.
Soul and Spirits Brewery in the Pinch District of Memphis runs German, Czech and American lagers, British cask ales and nitro pours from a 25-tap house.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Walk over from Bass Pro Pyramid; small kitchen too.
Alcenia's in the Pinch District of Memphis runs Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's soul food plates under $15: fried chicken, collards and a hug at the door.
Try: Fried chicken plate
Order: Fried chicken plate with greens and yams; ask for a Ghetto Aid.
Tip: Counter service, cash preferred. B.J. greets every table; the experience is half the meal.